Pathogen impacts and implications for species diversification in UK forestry

Journal article

With global productive forestry subject to the pressures of climate change and pest/pathogen damage, there is considerable industry focus on building resilience into commercial plantations. Diversification is a key facet of resilience and entails identification of suitable forestry species to supplement or replace those already in use. An important attribute to consider when evaluating species for potential use in diversification efforts is resilience to local pathogens. This study assessed the impact of endemic pathogens on 17 tree host species and up to three provenances per species across four experimental trial sites by conducting health surveys and collecting sample material to identify causal agents. Significant variability was detected among the 12 conifer and five broadleaf species, and among provenances, with the pines being heavily impacted by the needle blight pathogen Dothistroma septosporum. When compared to Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris Linnaeus), the non-native radiata (Pinus radiata D. Don) and maritime (Pinus pinaster Aiton) pines fared worse in terms of disease impact, with the destructive shoot pathogen Gremmeniella abietina detected on both. Our foliage necrosis and shoot mortality data indicate that use of native Scots pine provenances is advisable over non-native alternatives. The needle cast pathogen Nothophaeocryptopus gaeumannii was detected on all provenances of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirbel) Franco) at three of the sites, resulting in significant foliage necrosis. The range of detected pathogens and their impacts on key species of industry interest are discussed, alongside considerations as to how these results will inform future species and provenance choices.

Authors: Morton, L; Green, S; Mackay, J

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Journal: Forestry
• Publication date: 2025-04-21
• Acceptance date: 2025-04-01
• DOI: 10.1093/forestry/cpaf019
• EISSN: 1464-3626
• ISSN: 0015-752X
• Language: English